God's New Temple (2)
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Lexham Context Commentary: Old Testament God’s Glory Comes to a New Temple (40:1–48:35)
In the final section of Ezekiel, the prophet describes life with God among the restored remnant. God will build a new temple (40:1–42:20), and fill it with his glory (43:1–12). Then God describes the altar within the temple (43:13–27) and the duties of the priests who minister in the temple (44:1–31). The land around the temple is apportioned (45:1–6), and the offerings and feasts of the temple are detailed (45:7–46:24). Ezekiel follows the life‐giving waters from the temple, and God then sets the boundaries for the land and the divisions by tribe within the land (47:1–23). The prophecy closes with a description of the gates of the city and of the name of the city—“the Lord is there” (48:35).
Theologizing About Temples
Theologizing About Temples
A Temple is the Place Where God is With His People.
Eden
Eden
In the Garden of Eden, God dwelt with his people in uninterrupted peace and blessing. Eden, then, became the model for what a temple would be like.
Eden had a place for the people —Gen 2:8.
The Lord caused pretty trees to grow—Gen 2:9. Just like the temple decorations.
The Lord caused a river to go out from Eden to water the Garden—Gen 2:10. Here you can see God’s blessings being funneled to his people. You can also detect that Eden includes a place where the people are and a place where the people aren’t. So, it looks like the holy place (where the people could go) and the most Holy place (where God was in a special way).
Adam was described in the same way that priests were described—Gen. 2:15.
Tabernacle
Tabernacle
Temple of Solomon
Temple of Solomon
Rebuilt Temple
Rebuilt Temple
Ezekiel’s Temple
Ezekiel’s Temple
Beginning in Ezekiel 40, God gave Ezekiel for a temple that no man would ever build. Instead, this was a parable like description of the Church which God himself built and functioned as the temple because God was present in his people.
Ezekiel’s vision of the new temple followed his vision of God departing the temple in Ezekiel 8-11.
In Ezekiel 36, God had displayed how he would revive the people through preaching and the gift of a new heart to do his will. In Ezekiel 36 God not only promised to revive the people but to dwell within them.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
The temple had been the place where God dwelt, but now a new temple was promised. This temple was not one “built by human hands.” This new temple was built by God and the Spirit dwelt there.
The Vision of the Temple
The Vision of the Temple
Summons—Ezekiel 40:1-4
Summons—Ezekiel 40:1-4
Vision of the Temple—Ezekiel 40:5-42.
Vision of the Temple—Ezekiel 40:5-42.
This vision of the temple included:
Echoes of Eden, the tabernacle, and the old temple of Jerusalem.
Impressive building guidelines that could not be accomplished.
God Enters the Temple—Ezekiel 43:1-5
God Enters the Temple—Ezekiel 43:1-5
Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east.
And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.
And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face.
As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east,
the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
God’s Home Forever—Ezekiel 43:6-9.
God’s Home Forever—Ezekiel 43:6-9.
God’s People Must be Holy to be “in the Temple”—Ezekiel 43:10-12.
God’s People Must be Holy to be “in the Temple”—Ezekiel 43:10-12.
“Temple” could almost be seen a verb.
“As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan.
And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out.
This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.
God’s Altar and the Sacrifice—Ezekiel 43:13-27.
God’s Altar and the Sacrifice—Ezekiel 43:13-27.
Only Enter Through the Door—Ezekiel 44:1-14.
Only Enter Through the Door—Ezekiel 44:1-14.
Only Wear Righteous Garments—Ezekiel 44:15-22.
Only Wear Righteous Garments—Ezekiel 44:15-22.
Teach Righteous Laws—Ezekiel 44:23-27.
Teach Righteous Laws—Ezekiel 44:23-27.
Receive a Righteous Inheritance-Ezekiel 44:28-31.
Receive a Righteous Inheritance-Ezekiel 44:28-31.
Dwell with God in Righteous Ways—Ezekiel 45-46.
Dwell with God in Righteous Ways—Ezekiel 45-46.
Water Flows From the Temple—Ezekiel 47.
Water Flows From the Temple—Ezekiel 47.
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.
When Was This New Temple Built??
When Was This New Temple Built??
Some believe this new temple will be rebuilt one day in the future.
Some believe this new temple will be rebuilt one day in the future.
Ezekiel often used metaphors to describe spiritual realities rather than future physical realities.
The dimensions seem to be symbolic. It would have been a cube.
Jews who returned to the Promised Land after the exile were never condemned for not building Ezekiel's temple.
Jesus “Built” the Temple without the building.
Jesus “Built” the Temple without the building.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
God “Built” this Temple at Pentecost in Acts 2.
God “Built” this Temple at Pentecost in Acts 2.
Notice the similarities between the temple, Ezekiel’s vision, and what happened in Acts 2.
Sound like rushing wind filled the entire house—Acts 2:2.
Fire rested on the temple—Acts 2:3.
Begin to teach—Acts 2:4.
The Spirit makes Christians the Temple
The Spirit makes Christians the Temple
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.